Milady and the Thief
by and I think to myself
Summary: Lady and the Tramp/Tavern Scene AU. Regina and Robin do meet in the tavern, and Robin takes the opportunity to open up Regina's eyes to what life can really be. Oneshot (but in 2 parts... if thats still a oneshot)
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Her happy ending was meant to involve riding off into the sunset, Daniel by her side, finally escaping the clutches of her mother.

 _Not_ running full pelt into the forest, trying to keep track of a certain good-for-nothing thief ahead of her, in order to escape certain death from a very angry, very wet looking cluster of the King's guards.

She should have known better than to trust that fairy. To trust _him_.

* * *

 _"Come now milady. You can't tell me you've never wanted to give those guards a taste of their own medicine."_

 _Regina smirks, remembering all the nights she'd spent silently (and sometimes not so silently) cursing the guards Leopold insisted follow her every step, preventing her from taking so much as a breath of fresh air unaccompanied._

 _What she wouldn't give for the chance to get them back. To get_ Leopold _back - even if it was through the juvenile form of a petty thief._

 _"Well when you put it that way," she hedges, "no, I suppose I can't say that." A nervous smile plays about her lips, fighting the twitch that would broaden it into a defeated smirk, but she hastily adds, " it won't be anything dangerous will it, I don't want to hurt anyone."_

 _"Don't you worry about that, milady, just a bit of fun is all. I already have the perfect plan in mind."_

 _Robin's lips spread into a fully-fledged grin, and a part of her feels unnerved at how at ease he makes her feel. She's known him for all of 2 hours, if that. But the way her heart keeps tripping over itself when he traps his bottom lip with his teeth, or the way his dimples draw her eye every time he takes a pull from his drink, have her feeling emotions she thought had died along with Daniel. Foolish feelings such as hope and joy. Feelings that have no place in her life when they will only lead to further heartbreak._

 _Maybe she should be running back to the safety of the hatred and anger she is familiar with. Treat this criminal with the contempt he probably deserves and have nothing more to do with him._

 _But she's here now, and despite her misgivings, she does still have some of that foolish hope left within her. And this man sitting opposite her has her feeling slightly giddy. Feelings of affection are filling her, overwhelming her, pouring into her and mixing with the highly unladylike amount of ale she had consumed, so that her stomach is churning, that pesky hope fluttering to escape the flood of emotions._

 _And all because here was a man – her supposed 'soulmate' – offering her the taste of freedom she had so long been denied by both her mother and now Leopold._

 _Really. Who was she to say no?_

* * *

"There you are darling, freedom from those infernal contraptions."

They'd finally come to a halt, and Regina at least was glad to see that she was not the only one to be less than pleased at their impromptu test of athleticism.

The steed that they'd managed to coerce into escaping with them brayed and snorted at Robin as he slid the bridle from its chestnut muzzle, as if to say 'thanks a lot', and Regina couldn't blame it. A cold shower followed by a rampant chase through the woods is hardly how she would like to be woken either.

"You're a madman," she panted, leaning against a tree, trying to catch her breath and relieve her burning leg muscles. (Surprisingly, spending your days locked in a palace doesn't allow for much in the way of exercise or keeping fit.) "I thought you said we were just going to have 'a bit of fun.' Not 'we're going to douse those guards with the entirety of the water tower and then flee for our lives because for some reason they won't much like it.'"

"It was fun!" Robin defended. "This what living feels like milady. You've got to open up your eyes to what life can really be."

"Oh yes. I'm really living. And I suppose stealing a horse while we were there was all part of your _perfect plan_ was it?" Regina groused as she plucked a stray leaf from her hair. It was no doubt an absolute rats nest by now. Long, wavy hair didn't lend itself to chases through the woods even at the best of times, let alone when it was loose and flying behind her.

"Naturally. I had to gain something from this expedition. Other than spending more time with you obviously."

Robin, of course, was grinning smugly at her a few feet away, looking more exhilarated than exhausted, and it only increased her exasperation at him, his casual flirtation, infuriatingly having far more effect on her than she'd like. _'Add distractingly good looking and charming to his list of crimes'_ , she thought begrudgingly.

* * *

 _" – wanted for crimes against the people of Nottingham, including but not limited to; larceny, fraud, and damage to personal property. A reward of 1,000 gold coins awaits any who can provide valuable information as to his whereabouts –"_

 _The voice of the black guard fades into the hubbub of the crowd as it begins to disperse, many villagers no doubt launching immediately into discussions of where they might have seen the legendary Robin Hood._

 _"You're insane" Regina mutters, pulling the hood of her borrowed cloak further over her face. "This whole place is crawling with people after your head and yet you willingly want to cause a scene. And I must be insane too, for agreeing to come with you"_

 _"Nonsense" chuckles Robin, "I doubt anyone here would know they've found Robin Hood even if they sat on my head, and trust me, a few have tried." He says, as he throws her a saucy wink. Regina isn't sure whether to scoff or laugh, and as a result ends up producing a rather unladylike snort that would make her mother rage with disapproval. But Robin only grins wider, blue eyes sparkling, before grabbing her hand to pull her into a run._

 _And if Regina uses her free hand to cling onto her hood, drawing it further across her brow, it's only to ensure her face is well hidden from the crowds of onlookers, not at all to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks._

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Robin had known (or at least strongly suspected, and partly hoped) that by the end of the day he would probably be a mess. A goner. And in a rather less stable (and less painful) state of mind than he was now.

However, he had been expecting the cause of said state to be down to the barrel of alcohol he'd been eyeing up. _Not_ , because of a woman. A woman he was trying (and failing) not to ogle at this very moment while she leaned against a tree trying to catch her breath. In particular, he was trying very, very hard to stop from noticing the way her chest rose and fell with every panting breath, _especially_ not when she raised her arms to untangle a stray leaf from her ebony hair. (Lucky leaf. He wished it were his fingers that were tangled in that long hair, tracing the line of a particular lock that was winding its way across her collarbone, down her sternum and… further. Into the area he most definitely was _not_ looking…)

"See something you like thief?

 _Damn it_

Startled from his reverie, Robin chanced a glance at Regina's face, at least having the decency to look slightly abashed. But he'd never been one to play coy or hide his feelings, so he couldn't quite stop the corner of his mouth tugging up into a mollified smirk.

She was beautiful, he was attracted to her, and he wasn't afraid to show it, despite Regina's follow up comment,

"Considering you make your living from sneaking in and out of places unseen, you're not very subtle."

God she wonderful. Truly fantastic. She was witty, and somewhat sassy, but Robin hadn't forgotten the care and compassion she'd also displayed earlier – _I don't want to hurt anyone_. And that was all without the draw of her breathtaking beauty.

"Well can you blame me? I didn't think it possible, but you are somehow looking even more stunning than you did when you first sat next to me."

* * *

 _The breeze blown in through the open door tickles at the scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. But Robin just squares his shoulders against the chill and pays little attention to the newcomer. He's here to drink and drink only, with no plan at all of entertaining any of his friends or strangers alike._

 _When said newcomer squeezes next to him on the bench, however, the enchanting fragrance that storms his nostrils has him instantly bewitched, and really, it'd be just plain rude not to pay due attention._

 _Soft, elegant fabric, fitted and flowing over gentle curves. Hair a dark waterfall cascading half down her back and half over her far shoulder, giving him a view of the smooth olive skin of her neck - at the moment craned forward slightly trying to catch the barmaid's attention. And when she turns her face and meets his gaze, her eyes (so dark, so beautiful) sparkle mischievously at him, and her full lips turn up in a playful smile as she asks "So what do I have to do to get a drink around here?"_

* * *

"I don't suppose your perfect plan included stealing something to drink did it?"

Regina had turned away from him under the pretence of fixing her cloak fastening, but Robin could hear the suppressed smile in her voice as she tried to change to subject away from herself. Despite her attempts to the contrary, it seemed his entirely shameless flirtations were affecting her after all. Excellent.

He pulled out his hip flask and passed it over to her.

"I would offer water, but that was all I had I'm afraid. Ironic, considering the events that just transpired."

He'd meant it as a joke. Harmless banter to fuel their chemistry, and he would have counted the suppressed guffaw from her lips as a success, had it not been for the fact that at that moment, Regina had just taken a deep pull from the flask, and suddenly she was coughing. And retching. And coughing some more - an awful, painful sound and he could imagine how the bitter drink might be burning her throat and nose - the force of it convulsing her lithe frame, which suddenly seemed much more vulnerable than her bold and sassy words had made her appear.

"Oh damn I'm sorry," Robin dashed forward to take the flask from her lax grip before she spilt it on on her dress. Little John had always warned that his smart quips would end badly one day, and his guilt only grew ten fold when Regina tried to wave away his apology as she doubled over, grasping around for the nearest tree to balance on. "Here, let me-" He slid his arm under one of hers and round her waist to support her as she expelled the last of his poor taste in timing.

It wasn't until Regina's breathing began to even out that Robin became aware of just how truly close they were. Both crouched down on the forest floor, Regina had rested one palm on the curve of his thigh, while Robins arm was rubbing firm circles across her back. He was barely conscious of the way his free hand reached up to tuck a lock of inky hair from her face, letting his eyes search her features for any sign that she was ok. When Regina's eyes flitted across to meet his gaze, suddenly it was Robin who was struggling to breath, as a sudden charge of attraction seemed to have paralysed his every muscle.

* * *

 _He reaches for another chunk of cheese they'd ordered with bread for their table, so enraptured by her tale of horse-riding and tree climbing in her childhood, and the way her eyes sparkle at the memory, her lips curling into an unfettered, and utterly beautiful smile; he doesn't notice that she too has reached with delicate fingers for the same piece._

 _Their fingers bump together, and a shock courses through his veins, a shock so acute he might think he'd imagined it if it weren't for the way Regina had just withdrawn her hand faster than any arrow he could release. She snaps her gaze from his, and he traces her eyes as they look down at the table to where their touch met just moments ago, then up to him again, back down to her mug, her hands, anything, it seems, other than meeting his eyes again. Robin can't stand the thought that he's made her in anyway uncomfortable, so he reaches out to her again, with a gentle, "No, don't."_

 _Regina meets his gaze just as his hand folds over hers, and this time the charge causes a pleasant shiver over his skin, as he murmurs, "Don't pull away."_

* * *

"Don't pull away." She breathed, the words feathering across his bottom lip, which Robin couldn't help but draw between his teeth in a suppressed grin. He would have countered her cheek with something equally audacious, if his mouth hadn't suddenly been occupied by trying to keep up with the petite but definitely not demure handful of woman in front of him.

Her lips were incredibly soft, and surprisingly insistent considering how averse she'd seemed to his affections earlier, but he wasn't about to let that stop him. Not that he had much choice in the matter, for Regina's delicate hands had now made themselves firmly at home at the nape of his neck, her fingers scratching so deliciously at the back of his head that it sent shivers coursing down his spine, and if Robin thought he was a goner before, then he was firmly out for the count now.

She was an absolute goddess. A being of divine beauty and he was surely not worthy to be running his palms up and down her back, tracing the intricate lace of her dress with one hand while the other moved to cup the back of her head. Everything about her was a marvel, and Robin could happily have spent hours exploring every last inch of her, except-

"Well, well, well, you having fun down there Your Majesty?"

Regina had snapped her head around so fast that Robin almost toppled over backwards to avoid the whip of hair that grazed his cheek. Slightly dazed, he looked up and saw Regina's beautiful features transform in terror as she stared up at the black guards in front of them.

"I'm sure the King will be absolutely fascinated to hear the tale of your escapades today when we return you to him."


End file.
